


My Funny Valentine

by halfwit



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Benny loves Dean, Dean Loves Benny, F/M, Fluff, Human Benny, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, New mates, Valentine's Day Fluff, just a little, no supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 08:25:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5998747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwit/pseuds/halfwit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Benny are newly mated. Benny reflects on his life to this point and how excited he is for the new chapter with the mate he has waited so long for. However, finding out that Valentine's Day is around the corner and he is not prepared, Benny works overtime to make sure he plans the perfect day for his new mate. But, will Benny's idea of 'perfect' be the same as Dean's; or will the best laid plans lead him astray?</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Funny Valentine

“Jesus Christ,  _ Cher _ ,” Benny huffs bringing a bulging overstuffed box into the living room. “What the hell do you have in this thing.  _ Mon Dieu.” _

Dean Winchester turned and gave a shy, but flirty smile, at his new mate. “Awww, babe, are my little ole boxes too much for you? Knew I shoulda held out for a mate with stronger muscles.”

Benny knew his mate - and heaven help the flutter that took flight in his heart at that word - was just teasing; but, the words still caused a primitive growl to emanate from the burly Cajun’s throat. The sound was low, but not so low as it didn't reach the green-eyes Winchester’s ears and cause a dark shiver to run down his spine. 

Stalking forward like a lion to his prey, Benny wrapped his fingers into the grooves of Dean’s narrow waist and started to walk them backward until the younger man’s back was flush against the wall. Leaning in, Benny licked a possessive stripe up Dean’s freckle-dusted neck before gently nibbling his earlobe: The pair had been mated less than six weeks, but the Louisiana chef already knew the most sensitive spots on the other man’s body. 

“I don't think you should impune another man’s physique, sugah,” Benny drawled, southern accent more pronounced, tone huskier and needier, “if you aren't able to walk the walk...”

Grinning evilly, Benny backed away leaving his boyfriend to narrow jade green, lust blown eyes and fix him with a stink eyed glare. “Didn't think you would want a sad old man like me to hurt myself by breaking in our living room.”

The older man turned his back away and walked into the kitchen to start putting boxes away, leaving Dean panting and frustrated. 

The couple really did have a lot to do - not that taking a break to christen their new home. Benny still had a sense of disbelief to know this cute little bungalow style home, not far from Dean’s adoptive parents and brother, was now his home. Just a few short weeks ago Benny had been resigned to living his life alone. At 35, he was long past the conventional age when a man found his soulmate. Not that he had been alone for all those years: Benny had more than his fair share of female and male admirers; yet, none of them caused his wings to twitch and compel him forward. His friends tended to believe that his soul mate had died before they had a chance to meet. After years of looking for a mate in New Orleans, Benny decided to move. His family had passed and there was nothing keeping him in his native state. Plus, seeing lifelong friends meeting their mates, and to see their gazes holding more pity toward him with each passing year, gnawed that raw part within Benny and forced him to move on. 

He decided to pick up work along the Mississippi River as a short order cook. He had a nice mate-egg saved for whenever he met his one, so Benny had the means to travel and work as he wished, which was liberating and gave him a chance to focus on his mate search. 

The restless, nervous energy as he started off only increased with each town, and he felt the need to keep moving further north; away from the warmer climes and mild temperatures he was used to, and more into the unpredictable seasons and cold. 

Every few months, he kept moving, staying in small, non-descript apartments, not bothering to unpack knowing he would feel the wanderlust pulling at him before too long. That was how, three weeks before Christmas he ended up pulling his well-loved, but rusting, pickup truck into the homey town of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and finding the local pub-style bar was in need of a new cook. 

Ellen Harvelle was whip-smart and brash, but Benny immediately felt at ease with her. His wings didn't twitch, so he knew she wasn't his soulmate. Still, something in this town soothed the dull itch under his skin and gave him an aura of  _ comfort,safe,home _ . 

The Southern chef settled in to the small apartment above the pub relatively easily, and began to build a life, something he hadn't had in a very long time. Although he felt more at ease than since before he left New Orleans, there was still something missing - still a mate-sized hole in his heart. That all changed on Christmas Eve when Ellen called him out of the kitchen to meet a green-eyed man with the sweetest freckles he had ever seen and lips that Benny knew he would dream about kissing. 

Crossing the floor, Benny soon felt electric sparks running up his arms and thrumming through his wings. He saw the other man’s eyes widen in response and start to move toward him as well. And, the rest, as they say, was history. Benny Lafitte had finally met his soulmate in one Dean Winchester, electrical engineer visiting his family from New York City. 

After their mating, Benny came home with Dean and met his family: Surrogate parents Bobby Singer and Jody Mills-Singer, and brother and sister-in-law, Sam and Meg. Benny would admit that the petite brunette who was now his sister-in-law as well frightened him a little: She was small, but opinionated. Of all the family, it was the tiny woman with fierce brown eyes who threatened him if he ever hurt Dean. Benny had expected the threat from Sam, who was easily the size of a moose, but the tall young man hung back, faint pink tinge to his cheeks, as his mate issued the family threat. 

After that, the Christmas meal was relaxed and gave a chance for everyone to get a chance to know each other a little better. Benny and Dean were both able to relax; and Benny got a kick out of seeing how beautiful his lover’s cinnamon flecked freckles looked when his cheeks burned red with embarrassment when Bobby and Jody told stories from bygone days. Sam and Meg still were able to steal the spotlight with their baby news; but, Dean never saw it as a competition and was just glad to be home for the holidays to be able to share such wonderful news with the little brother he helped to raise.

Finishing their meals, Dean and Benny silently agreed to go back to Benny’s apartment, where the two could get to know one another better. Despite being overjoyed at each finding their one true mate, the pair knew virtually nothing about one another, which tempered Dean’s happiness to some degree: The younger man had a fear that despite them being biologically perfectly compatible, they might not have anything in common.

For the next week, between Benny’s shift at The Roadhouse and spending time with Dean’s family, the newly mated pair began to learn more about one another. During these talks, they found they actually had more in common than they ever could have expected. Both had a love for classic rock and classic cars, and Benny pretty much stole Dean’s heart when he found out the older man loved to bake and made a killer cherry pie - who knew there could be so many extracurricular uses for cherry pie filling?

In between lazy kisses and family background, the men also had to address practical considerations; number one on that list was where they would live. Although Benny had been flexible in his travels before he ended up in Sioux Falls, the older man wasn’t keen to leave. Dean was a little reluctant to move back home; he had a successful life in New York and was starting to make a name for himself at his company.

Dean cut short his visit to fly back to the city to talk to his bosses to see what could be done; if he could telecommute to some extent. To his delight, the firm’s owner, Anna Milton, was progressive when it came to creating balance in work and home life. Fortuitously, there was an opening for a supervisor in the recently expanded Sioux City office: It would be a bit more of a commute than what Dean was used to, but it would be increased responsibility and increased pay, and he would be able to live closer to his parents and brother, sister-in-law, and niece or nephew.

Despite Dean’s terror of flying, the freckled face man braved the tin box of terror every other week while making the transition. He would fly home to help Benny in the search for a perfect home for them so they weren’t cramped in Benny’s old apartment above The Roadhouse.

With all their adjustments, it was the second week of February before Dean permanently was able to move all his possessions from New York to his new home and meet his new co-workers at the firm. Which led to Benny practically breaking his back moving Dean’s drafting supplies into their home, while the other man worked on unpacking.

Benny was so content, he didn’t realize that Dean was talking until he heard a bark of laughter from the younger man. Wandering toward Dean’s office, Benny leaned against the door when he saw Dean was on the phone.

“Dude, how could you forget?” Dean was laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face, making his eyes shimmer like emeralds. “Yeah, I know you’ve been busy, but she’s your mate and she’s pregnant. Hell, I’ve been packing up my whole life and  _ I _ remembered.”

Benny’s eyes narrowed. Was there a special event in the Singer-Mills-Winchester-Masters, now, Lafitte household he wasn’t aware of? He couldn’t think of anything, but a vague buzz of panic started to settle over him.

“You better hope that you can find the perfect gift and make reservations in some fancy ass restaurant before tomorrow. But, just in case you can’t I’ll start writing your eulogy now,” Dean snickered before looking up to see where Benny was lounging in the doorway.

Placing his hand over the mouthpiece of his phone and moving it away from his mouth, Dean stage whispered to Benny, “Fucking Sam is so dead man, he forgot tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. I wouldn’t want to be around Meg when she finds out.”

Dean brought the phone back down to his mouth and turned away from his mate, so he never saw the blood drain from the older man’s face, or the cold sweat that broke out on his brow.  _ Valentine’s Day? _ What day was it?

Benny scampered into the kitchen, and moved boxes aside to find the Firefighters of Sioux Falls charity calendar Ellen bought them as a gag housewarming gift. The slightly panicked man looked at the calendar and saw the next day, February 14, was indeed Valentine’s Day.

_ Shit! _

The older man wasn’t a virgin before Dean, he’d had partners, but he never recalls having one for this time of year, and if he did have a significant other at that time, he doesn’t remember ever celebrating: Most times, he had to work, bars and restaurants were crazy busy on that day of the year with everyone piling into woo their mates. Because of the move and Dean getting settled, Ellen had given Benny the week off, so the significance of the date never occurred to him.

_ Fuck! _ This was bad; this was very, very bad. He heard that Dean remembered about Valentine’s Day, despite his preoccupation with the move. What was Benny’s excuse? 

_ “Sorry, love, never had a reason to celebrate so the ‘holiday’ doesn’t mean anything to me?” _

_ “Sorry, babe, this will probably be the only Valentine’s Day we’ll be able to celebrate together and I’ve fucked it up because I couldn’t get my head out of my ass to pay attention to the fuckin’ calendar?” _

Somehow, Benny didn’t think either of those scenarios were going to work out with the younger man. Haunted in his mind’s eye by a look of hurt on Dean’s handsome face, or tears glistening in his beautiful eyes, Benny knew he had to fix this. He just didn’t know how he was going to do that. He had less than twenty-four hours.

“ _ Cher _ ?” Benny called out.

“Yeah, babe,” came the almost immediate response as Dean walked out of his office, phone put away after his call with Sam.

“I’ve gotta run out for a little bit, there are some things we need for the house that I musta forgot in all the excitement of you actually getting here,” Benny fibbed, hoping Dean didn’t see through him.

“Okay, just let me grab my shoes and I’ll come with,” Dean said amicably. “It’ll be nice to spend some time together outside of the house.”

“NO!” Benny yelled, too sharply, causing Dean to look up in surprise, eyebrow raised in askance. 

“I-I mean,” the older man stammered, mentally kicking himself for his over-the-top reaction, “there’s so much to get done here, and what I need to do doesn’t require both of us. So, why don’t you stay here and I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

“A jiffy?” Dean said, curiosity evident, but striving for a light tone. “Really, Dude? Who talks like that?”

“I do, and if you are very good, I’ll make shepherd's pie for dinner,” Benny promised.

“Aw, hell, man,” Dean groused good-naturedly, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck. “What chance do I have to get the upperhand in this relationship when you know my weak spot is pie?”

Benny chuckled, the sound a combination of exuberant and relieved.

“Darlin’, I’m pretty sure everyone who knows you, knows the way to your heart is by making you pie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean grumbled, fighting a large smile from taking over his face. “Get going you old coot. Shoo! The faster you get gone, the faster you get back and I can eat.”

“Yessir,” Benny mock-saluted his mate, earning himself another glare for the effort.

“Go,” Dean said, waving his hand as though dismissing Benny.

The older man grabbed a worn gray pea-coat from the rack near the door, “See ya soon, babe,” he called.

“Love you,” Dean called, walking back toward his office.

Benny’s heart stuttered in his chest. Love? Dean loved him? That was an awesome responsibility, Benny hurriedly ran out of the house without responding. This day was throwing him further out to sea. Wasn’t it too soon to talk about love? Did mates even feel that? It was biological for them to be together, did that automatically mean love? Is that what the warm feeling had been in his chest every time he thought about Dean?

A riot of thoughts and emotions rushed over the distraught older man as he clambered into his truck and drove the short distance to Bobby and Jody’s house.

Once in the driveway, Benny froze. He didn’t know what he was doing here. He was about to ask his mate’s adoptive mother for advice. What if Dean found out? The southerner was indecisive. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, seeking calm and an answer to his problem.

A sharp knock to the driver’s side window made him jump a foot in the air - and may have caused a (completely manly) yelp to escape his lips.

Turning, he saw Jody standing at his window, arms folded sternly across her chest, chocolate-brown eyes narrowed in thought.

“Ya gonna sit there all day, ya idjit, or are ya gonna tell me what you are here for without Dean?” she asked, not beating about the bush.

Nodding like a scolded toddler, Benny ambled out of the truck and followed her to the kitchen where she was pouring a mug of coffee for each of them.

“Trouble in paradise?” she asked, only half-jokingly.

“Maybe?” Benny responded, unable to meet her eyes.

‘Is that a question or an answer, boy?” she retorted, eyes narrowing again, voice infused with a hint of steel that reminded him of his own mama.

“I kinda screwed up, Jody,” he sighed, scrubbing his hand down his day old scruff and looking up to meet his mother-in-law’s gaze. “I forgot tomorrow was Valentine’s Day….our first real holiday since mating.”

“Well shit,” Jody said, taking a large gulp of her coffee. “When you fuck up, you fuck up big.”

Benny raised troubled eyes to her in question.

“Dean is a romantic at heart,” she explained. “He’s tried to tamp that down over the years because he wasn’t able to find his mate. When given the space and opportunity, he loves to celebrate holidays and show affection to those he loves. Hell, I already got my present from him, and pretty sure Meg got hers as well.”

The older man sank his head down on the counter, shoulders slumped in defeat. In all their talks about likes and dislikes, Dean never mentioned holidays.

“So how do I fix this?” Benny asked, a tinge of desperation in his voice.

“We’ve got less than a day, we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Jody said, setting down her mug and grabbing her phone and keys. “Don’t just sit there, get your ass up. We’ve got work to do.”

*******************

Valentine’s Day dawned clear and sunny. The temperatures were unseasonably warm for South Dakota at this time of year. Dean woke up and stretched, excited to celebrate the day with his handsome mate. He lazily rolled over and found the sheets long cold.

_ “Huh, that’s weird,”  _ Dean thought with a frown. He would have liked to start the day with some slow morning sex, but figured Benny was still trying to get things situated in their new house.

Stumbling from bed, Dean wandered toward the kitchen; he was never at his best until he had a cup of coffee.

In the kitchen, he saw the space transformed with a riot of white, pink, and red. There was a veritable garden of roses littering every space. Benny must have bought out every florist in three cities to get this many flowers. Dean’s face flushed, but his eyes sparkled with joy to know how much thought his mate put to make this a special day. Plucking a flower and inhaling its rich, sweet scent, Dean noticed coffee was already made, along with a heart shaped note.

_ Happy Valentine’s Day,  _ cher _. I am so glad to have you in my life. xoxo Benny PS - Come to the park at noon for your next surprise. _

The sentiment made Dean smile, but he was perplexed that there was no mate to greet with a kiss. 

He had some time before he was supposed to meet Benny, based on the note, so he made a quick breakfast, checked some emails, got a shower, made sure he had his own gift for his love, and left with a smile on his face and a spring in his step, although he would deny it until the end of time.

At noon, Dean entered the park, looking for the tall, muscular cook. His eyes scanned the crowd, and found a familiar mop of shaggy brown hair standing by the pond.

“Heya Sammy,” Dean greeted with a friendly clap on his brother’s shoulder. “Whatcha doing here?”

“Waiting for you,” Sam said with a smirk. “Although I gotta say if Meg hears about all this, I’m such a dead man.”

“Why are you here for me?” Dean asked with a small frown, not that he didn’t love his brother. “I’m supposed to meet Benny.”

“No, you are here for me,” Sam said, shoving a black strap of leather in Dean’s perplexed face.

“What the hell?” the older Winchester asked, eyes following the leather to reveal the most adorable ball of puppy fluff he ever saw.

“Surprise!” Sam said.”I guess Benny found out how you always wanted a dog, but couldn’t have one because Jody was allergic.”

Green eyes were bright with happiness as Dean kneeled down to scoop up the adorable puppy.

“Who’s the sweetest little pup in the world?” Dean cooed happily. “You better not be filming this bitch.”

Sam’s hazel eyes were twinkling merrily as he tapped a few buttons on his phone.

“Cool it, jerk,” Sam responded. “I only sent it to Benny...and Jody and Bobby and Meg.”

“I hate you.”

“You know you love me.”

“Not to seem ungrateful,” Dean said, standing slowly with the puppy resting carefully against his broad chest, “but where’s Benny? I haven’t seen him all day.”

Sam reached toward his back pocket and pulled out a card. He took the puppy from Dean while his brother tore into the card and saw the next hint scrawled in Benny’s distinctive writing.

_ I thought we could use a guard dog for when we are home alone. Come to Heaven’s Sweets on Main, be there by 12:45. xoxo Benny _

Dean’s forehead crinkled in confusion. He could see his mate went to a lot of trouble to make their first holiday special, but he kind of wanted to spend the day with the older man, not chasing after him.

“He wants me to meet him at Heaven’s Sweets,” Dean told a curious Sam.

“I’m gonna take Cujo here back to my house for now,” Sam said, running a soothing hand through the puppy’s fur. “You guys can pick her up when you’re ready.”

“You be good for Uncle Sammy baby girl,” Dean said, earning a lick on the face.

Back in his car, Dean drove to the best bakery in Sioux Falls; actually, it gave some of the pastry shops in New York a run for their money - not that Dean would tell the owner that. Dude had big enough head as it was without giving him compliments. During the ride, Dean reached in his pocket to make sure he had his gift for his mate secure. He couldn’t wait to see what the older man would think, although the young Winchester was starting to question whether his gift could even compare with all that Benny had done. The older man must have been planning this since right after they mated.

Finding a space for his Baby relatively quickly, Dean entered the luscious bakery right at 12:45. The bell above the door tinkled as he walked in and found himself attack hugged by Gabriel Richards, the owner.

“Dean-O,” Gabriel pulled back with a wide grin on his face. “So nice to see you. I hear you have mated and are back in town for good.”

Chuckling as he extricated himself from the embrace, “Yeah, good news travels fast. I think I’m supposed to be meeting my mate here.”

Gabriel was on the move, walking behind the counter to pull out a series of impressive looking tarts and pies.

“Nope, the mate’s not here big boy,” toffee colored eyes glinted with mischief - it was no coincidence that people called Gabriel a trickster. “But have I got a series of sweets for you to enjoy. All hand picked by that hunk of burning love you hooked up with.”

Despite the intoxicating aroma of his favorite treats, Dean found his shoulders slumping and his appetite practically non-existent. Yet again Benny wasn’t here. Not wanting to seem peevish or unappreciative for all the hard work both his mate and Gabriel expended, Dean sat down and had his personal tour of pastry.

By the time he left, he was pie-drunk and so full he swore he wouldn’t indulge in his favorite dessert ever again. He also had his next set of instructions.

*******

And so the day continued. Dean would go from shop to shop. Each time eager for his mate, and each time finding a lavish surprise based on his favorite interests, but not having burly arms to hold him tight, or icy blue eyes to look warmly at him. Dean found his mood plummeting with each stop he made, despite the generous gifts he received.

Finally,at seven that night, Dean pulled up to The Roadhouse. It was curious that his was the only car in the lot; he would have thought Ellen would be busier during a holiday. Pulling on the door, Dean noticed a sign saying  **_“Closed for private event - Dean get your scrawny ass in here -  Ellen”_ ** .

Faint smile gracing his feature, Dean entered and felt the breath leave his chest when he took in the sight around him. The Roadhouse had been completely transformed. All around there were white fairy lights. His ears perked up and heard the soft sounds of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” filtering through the sound system. The usual tables had been cleared out, leaving only one two-seat table in the middle of the restaurant. The path to the table was littered with hundred of soft rose petals in the same pinks, whites, and reds that the flowers Dean saw at home this morning.

Walking slowly to the table, Dean saw a candle softly lighting the space along with more rose petals, a bottle of champagne, and two plates covered with silver domes to keep the food warm.

Tears blurred Dean’s vision as he thought of all that Benny had done to make this such a special day, but how much he had missed the other man. 

Lost in his thoughts, Dean jumped when he felt strong arms wrap around his middle and pull him firmly back against a strong, muscled chest.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,  _ mon coeur _ ,” Benny whispered into Dean’s ear, warm breath tickling and arousing him.

Turning in the circle of the slightly taller man’s arms, Dean wrapped his own arms around his neck and held on tightly, trying to hold back sobs that threatened to wrack his frame.

Benny held on to his love tightly, but he was able to feel the shudders that were running through the younger man’s body. He was confused. He had done everything Jody suggested; had Dean not liked something?

“What’s the matter, baby?” Benny asked gently, afraid of the answer.

Dean didn’t answer, just shook his head slightly and held on to his lover even tighter.

“Don’t do that,” Benny said, frown marring his face. “We promised that we were always going to tell each other everything.”

“‘s stupid,” Dean mumbled into the other man’s shoulder.

“I doubt that,” Benny said, trying to see Dean’s face to get some idea of what had upset his sweet boy. “Did I do somethin’ wrong, darlin’?”

“Wrong?” Dean asked, pulling back to look at Benny, shock evident on his face. 

“Yeah, wrong,” the other man said, running a thumb gently under Dean’s eyes to wipe the salty tracks, and taking in the reddened whites of his mate’s eyes.

“Shit Benny,” Dean said, trying to sniff discreetly. “This is probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“And yet yer cryin’, and they don’t look like happy tears,” the other man observed quietly.

Backing away and running his hands through his hair, Dean huffed out a mirthless chuckle. “Like I said, it’s stupid.”

“Just tell me.”

“I appreciate everything you did for me today,” Dean said, plopping down in a chair and keeping his gaze firmly on the ground, not strong enough to look Benny in the eyes. “But with each stop, I was experiencing all of my favorite things, but I didn’t have my favorite person with me to share. So with each gift, I felt more and more empty. I guess I’m selfish, because I want something more than what you gave me. I wanted you. Hell, you could have not given me a single thing and just spent the day with me and that would have been more than enough.”

The younger man’s confession hung heavily in the pub. Dean swallowed thickly; he was afraid he had damaged the relationship.

After a few moments of silence, Dean heard a slight choking sound coming from Benny. The younger man shut his eyes tightly.  _ Great work, Winchester, _ he thought bitterly,  _ you’ve made your mate cry...on fucking Valentine’s Day. _ The green-eyed man was so busy berating himself that it took several minutes to realize the sounds he heard from Benny didn’t fit with crying. Forcing himself to look up, Dean saw his mate bent over, head in his hands, and Dean narrowed his eyes when he saw the bastard was laughing. What the actual fuck?!

“Benny?” Dean asked, wondering what he missed.

“I’m sorry,  _ cher _ ,” Benny gasped out between giggles.”It’s just so tragic it’s funny.”

The young Winchester felt his anger rise. Why was his mate making fun of him.

“I was so worried you’d be pissed at me because until I heard you on the phone with Sam yesterday, I totally forgot about Valentine’s Day; never celebrated it before. When you were ribbin’ Sam for forgettin’, I was worried you’d be mad at me because I did, too. Then I went to see Jody and she told me how much ya love the holidays and what a romantic you are, and I wanted to do something special for ya.”

Dean tilted his head, brow furrowed in his confusion, it was a habit he had picked up from his time with Castiel.

“She said I needed to do somethin’ grand fer ya to show I cared,” Benny said, laughter having died down, but a shit-eating grin still splitting his face. “And all along, you would have been happier with something more intimate.”

Dean didn’t answer for a moment, trying to take in all that Benny said.

“I guess this is where we still are learning about each other,” Dean said slowly, taking more care than normal to find the right words. He wasn’t good at talking about emotional stuff, he usually left that to Sam, but this was his mate; this was about the two of them, this was important, he didn’t want their to be any more confusion.

“Yes,” he continued, green eyes lifting to meet slate blue, “I am a closet romantic, Jody’s right about that. But, I don’t need elaborate gestures to show what someone feels. Breakfast in bed, or lazy morning sex followed by a movie would work. Hell, just one of the gestures you planned for me today, with you by my side would have been my slice of heaven.”

Benny stood up and grasped the other man’s hands, tugging gently to bring him to a standing position and cupping his face gently.

“Next time, I’ll ask ya what you want instead of going to yer mom for advice,” Benny said, leaning in to kiss his love gently, feeling the younger man almost instantly melt against him and returning the kiss with enthusiasm.

Pulling back, Benny looked into pleasure-dazed eyes. “Guess we should eat before the food gets cold.”

Dean reached out and tugged the other man in, swaying slightly to the music still playing. “Shhh,” he murmured, smile evident in his voice. “Just give me another minute to enjoy being in your arms again.”

The taller man hummed happily, pleased to finally be with his mate. Truth was Benny was exhausted from running around for nearly twenty-four hours to set all the surprises up. Plus, once they got home, puppy training would begin, so there would be no rest for the weary.

“I almost forgot,” Dean said, breaking the quiet moment and pulling a small box out of his coat pocket. “I have a gift for you as well. I’m almost embarrassed to give it to you because it doesn’t come close to comparing to what you’ve done for me.”

The southerner accepted the small box and looked up curiously at his mate.

“I know it’s probably too soon to talk about love,’ Dean said, eyes downcast, “but, I believe it’s possible even this early. So, I wanted to give you something so you would always have a tangible reminder of my love for you.”

Benny tore open the package and found a gold chain with a gleaming yellow circlet hanging from the center: It was a wedding band. The blue-eyed man felt his eyes mist over with tears.

“It was my dad’s,” Dean said softly. “My birth dad’s. When he and my mom died, they were able to recover their wedding rings, and I was given them for safekeeping. Part of me always thought I would give them to Sammy, especially when he and Meg mated. For some reason, I just couldn’t part with them; I think it’s because I never really gave up hope that I would find you...find my mate, and this was a part of me that I wanted to share with the person that I would spend the rest of my life with. You have my dad’s ring, and I kept my mom’s.

“So, while my gift isn’t as thoughtful or elaborate as what you gave me, I’m giving you what I’ve never fully given anyone before, not even Cas. You get my heart, all of it, it’s yours to do whatever you wish. Because even if it’s too fucking soon to really know for sure, I can say that I love you Benny Lafitte, and you have been worth the wait.”

Benny stared at the ring in his hand. He was overcome with emotion. His gift to Dean was elaborate and made up of all of his mate’s favorite things, but the younger man had given him something infinitely precious, his love and trust.

“ _ Je t’aime, mon amour, _ ” Benny croaked out before slamming his lips to Dean’s in an artless, but passionate, kiss.

“I love you, too, Papa Bear,” Dean said through his own tears.

The two men shared a few more kisses before settling in for the home cooked Valentine’s meal Benny had prepared.

By the time the pair collapsed into bed that night, emotionally and physically exhausted, they curled around each other and held on tight. Happy to finally have found that person to love more than anyone else. They still had a lot to learn about each other, but that was just part of the adventure.

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel that not many people (including me) probably expected. This not only was an unexpected sequel, the story itself just took on an absolute life of its own. Holy cow. These boys wanted a very in depth story told, and that is what they got. I want to thank from the bottom of my heart my friends J, V, and L who all took time to read and give me comments and criticism on the story to make sure I was staying on track - I couldn't have done this without them. I do hope you enjoy this. I am planning on also writing a Destiel Valentine's story, this one just wouldn't leave me alone. Happy Valentine's Day to all. I do hope you enjoyed my (not-so-little) brain child, I certainly feel as though I've given birth after this :-). Love you all and thank you for all the love and support you continue to give me.


End file.
